Thailand Live Saturday 12 October 2024

[umbanda]

I was using for the last 3 years the DIRECT EXPRESS ATM CARD the US Social Security provide, without any problems, in Thailand and border countries...Now, after expiring, I got the new card and it is not working in ANY ATM here.....Anybody with the same problem? I called the office in the US and, after many calls and misinformation, they said that now needs special authorization to use outside the US.....It is that true?

[meand]

If it is not working, and they told you it should not be working, i would think it is probably true.

[umbanda]

If it is not working, and they told you it should not be working, i would think it is probably true.

They said that should be work....with that NEW necessary "special permission"....Still not working..and probably I will have to get a new card or change arrangements after more calls trying to find what is really happening...Not only in Thailand you get confusing answers for a simple question.

I just want to know if another US retired citizen had or have problems in using that ATM card here recently....

[MilesofSmiles]

Yes. You'll need to re-auth your card to work here.

It's a pretty basic process for bank cards, so I don't see it being any different with social security.

[fletchsmile]

I can't comment on your particular card, but it's becoming more common these days for banks to require you to authorise your cards before they can be used overseas. This is an anti-fraud measure.

For my bank in Singapore I can do this via internet banking and can enable/disable oversea card usage as I see fit, including setting an expiry date for it.

So yes, there's a good chance what they say is true. Hope you also asked them how to authorise, eg can it be done via phone, internet etc as procedures vary

Cheers

Fletch

[Pib]

Pricey to use that card outside the U.S. According to the Social Security Direct Express website: $3 plus 3% of amount withdrawn plus any local ATM fee like the Thai bank Bt180 fee for a foreign Mastercard such as Direct Express. Don't think I would want to be giving the credit card company and banks around 4% in fees of my social security benefit once I start drawing it...that adds up to a lot of money each year.

[thrilled]

Some people have direct deposit with Bangkok bank.Then they use their Bangkok Bank ATM card.I just do soc sec,direct deposit with schwab.Then I use any ATM in Thailand.Schwab reimburses the money back into my account.

[dddave]

I have also been using Charles Schwab for the past four years and have found it to be the best solution for handling my month to month SSI and Veterans benefits.

They are directly deposited into my Schwab account and I withdraw as needed here in Thailand. As others pointed out, fees are returned to your account.

I try not to abuse their policies by using AEON ATM's whenever possible.

I also have a Bangkok Bank passbook savings account here which gives me a local debit card (Visa). I withdraw a monthly lump sum from my Schwab account and deposit it into my Bangkok bank account and use the Bangkok Bank card for all my local transactions. I never use my Schwab card for local retail or internet transactions, only my Bangkok Bank card, thus protecting myself from any large, fraudulent withdrawals.

Unfortunately, I do not think you can open a Schwab account from overseas, I believe you have to be in the USA to do it. I'm not 100% sure of this so worth checking out..

[Pib]

Some people have direct deposit with Bangkok bank.Then they use their Bangkok Bank ATM card.I just do soc sec,direct deposit with schwab.Then I use any ATM in Thailand.Schwab reimburses the money back into my account.

Direct deposit accounts at Bangkok Bank do not provide ATM/debit cards...withdrawals/transfers can only be done in person.

Link 1 Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit webpage. Open the sublink talking about U.S. government payments (Direct Deposits).

Link 2 U.S. Consulate webpage talking Direct Deposits. By the way, you don't need to do the SF-1199A Direct Deposit Sign up form if you notify the SSA via telephone of your bank's routing and account number info.

Now I've seen some past posts where people say they have their Social Security, Military Retirement, other U.S. govt pensions going to a Bangkok Bank "regular savings account" where you do get an ATM/debit card, ibanking, etc., but I'm somewhat skeptical the posts are accurate based on what the Bangkok Bank website says regarding U.S. govt payments and my own experience.

By my own experience I mean when I first got to Thailand years ago for the first year or so I was going through the "banking in Thailand" headaches many of us experience like what is the cheapest way to transfer money to Thailand on a regular basis, foreign transaction fees, etc. Since I get a military retirement pension at one point I just decided to have that direct deposited to my Bankgok Bank account...so I called the military retirement pay folks as DFAS, gave them the Bangkok Bank New York routing number and my in-Thailand Bangkok Bank account number for my "regular savings account" which comes with ATM/Debit card, ibanking, etc. For the first few months the military retirement pension arrived no problem, then around the 3rd month I noticed the monthly pension payment was overdue/hadn't posted to my Bangkok Bank account. Around the 10th day of the month I got a letter from Bangkok Bank saying my U.S. govt pension payment was onhold and I needed to come in an open a Direct Deposit account to get the funds posted to that account; otherwise, the pension payment would be sent back. It's easy for a bank to determine what type of payment/from where a payment is coming by the coding in the transfer.

Anyway, I went into Bangkok Bank, opened up the Direct Deposit account, they filled out the SF1199 but I told them to only keep it for their records and not to mail it as I would call DFAS that night to give them the new account number. But Bangkok Bank would have mailed the form for me. Once Bangkok Bank opened the Direct Deposit account they then took the funds off of hold status and posted them to the new Direct Deposit account. That night I called DFAS to give them my new account number, the next month's payment and following payments arrived no problem to my Direct Deposit account. But around 4 months later I stopped the pension payments to the Direct Deposit account only because I had developed some other means in cheaply getting funds to Thailand by opening less fee-hungry U.S. bank accounts which also provide no foreign transaction fee debit cards, no sending fee ACH transfers, etc., and I got a little tired of having to do an in-person transfer of funds from my Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account to my Regular Savings account.

Heck, I haven't done an ACH transfer for over 2 year now since I got a couple of no foreign transaction fee Visa debit cards with a couple of new U.S. bank accounts I opened...I can pull up to $1000 per day using each card...and of course I use an AEON ATM to avoid the foreign card fee of Bt150/Bt180 although my banks would reimburse that fee but I don't want to help kill the Reimbursement Golden Goose. I then take that money I got out of the AEON ATM absolutely fee free on it's milliseconds transfer from the U.S. and deposit it in a Bangkok Bank Cash Deposit Machine about 20 steps away in my nearby Lotus mail (I'm lucking in terms of an AEON ATM and Bangkok Bank branch being so close together) to recharge my Bangkok Bank account so I can pay bills via Bangkok Bank ibanking, use their debit card, etc. But if the teller clerks are really pretty I'll bypass the CDM and use the teller to deposit the funds (grin). But I still have that Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account because a person never knows when a certain policy or fee change by XYZ may make it a preferred choice for me to do transfers.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Pib

[umbanda]

Finally, after 6 calls to the card company, and after 5 days, my card is working at the local ATM. This time, I was asked many questions about my stay in Asia by a "special services" dept. Never happened before......The older card was canceled only one time in 2011 when I used in Bali, but was re-installed hours after a short call. I only use the ATM card one time a month to transfer my retirement money to my Bangkok Bank check account.

It is not cheap, and now AEON is charging for foreign cards withdraws, but I do not know a cheaper or more convenient option.

Anyway..Thank you friends for your advice.

Edited February 11, 2014 by umbanda

[rfukata]

I can't comment on your particular card, but it's becoming more common these days for banks to require you to authorise your cards before they can be used overseas. This is an anti-fraud measure.

For my bank in Singapore I can do this via internet banking and can enable/disable oversea card usage as I see fit, including setting an expiry date for it.

So yes, there's a good chance what they say is true. Hope you also asked them how to authorise, eg can it be done via phone, internet etc as procedures vary

Cheers

Fletch

I have to agree about the usage of credit card overseas. I had a situation with Master card Intl. last month trying purchase online airline tickets

(Nokair) from US. My transaction was denied so I called the MC security to ask why and they mentioned anti-fraud measures so I asked for an override or approval for a specific charge and window of time to which I can buy the ticket. I never had this problem last year (2013) and even living in

Thailand for past 10 years.

[55Jay]

Finally, after 6 calls to the card company, and after 5 days, my card is working at the local ATM. This time, I was asked many questions about my stay in Asia by a "special services" dept. Never happened before......The older card was canceled only one time in 2011 when I used in Bali, but was re-installed hours after a short call. I only use the ATM card one time a month to transfer my retirement money to my Bangkok Bank check account.

It is not cheap, and now AEON is charging for foreign cards withdraws, but I do not know a cheaper or more convenient option.

Anyway..Thank you friends for your advice.

Umbanda, could you clarify on the part about AEON charging a fee for foreign cards please?

I last used AEON on 2nd of this month, no charge, so left me wondering if there's been a change in the interim or perhaps a misunderstanding with home bank fees.

Thanks,

J

Edited February 12, 2014 by 55Jay

[theoldgit]

Umbanda, could you clarify on the part about AEON charging a fee for foreign cards please?

I last used AEON on 2nd of this month, no charge, so left me wondering if there's been a change in the interim or perhaps a misunderstanding with home bank fees.

Seems to have changed a day or two ago:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703641-aeon-bank-now-charge-150-b-atm-fee/

[Jubes]

Finally, after 6 calls to the card company, and after 5 days, my card is working at the local ATM. This time, I was asked many questions about my stay in Asia by a "special services" dept. Never happened before......The older card was canceled only one time in 2011 when I used in Bali, but was re-installed hours after a short call. I only use the ATM card one time a month to transfer my retirement money to my Bangkok Bank check account.

It is not cheap, and now AEON is charging for foreign cards withdraws, but I do not know a cheaper or more convenient option.

Anyway..Thank you friends for your advice.

Umbanda, could you clarify on the part about AEON charging a fee for foreign cards please?

I last used AEON on 2nd of this month, no charge, so left me wondering if there's been a change in the interim or perhaps a misunderstanding with home bank fees.

Thanks,

J

Aeon bank are charging a fee for use from overseas cards as of yesterday or day before, there is a thread already going about it

[55Jay]

Umbanda, could you clarify on the part about AEON charging a fee for foreign cards please?

I last used AEON on 2nd of this month, no charge, so left me wondering if there's been a change in the interim or perhaps a misunderstanding with home bank fees.

Seems to have changed a day or two ago:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703641-aeon-bank-now-charge-150-b-atm-fee/

*&^%$#@*(&^!

Thanks for the link, I missed that thread yesterday.

[55Jay]

Finally, after 6 calls to the card company, and after 5 days, my card is working at the local ATM. This time, I was asked many questions about my stay in Asia by a "special services" dept. Never happened before......The older card was canceled only one time in 2011 when I used in Bali, but was re-installed hours after a short call. I only use the ATM card one time a month to transfer my retirement money to my Bangkok Bank check account.

It is not cheap, and now AEON is charging for foreign cards withdraws, but I do not know a cheaper or more convenient option.

Anyway..Thank you friends for your advice.

Umbanda, could you clarify on the part about AEON charging a fee for foreign cards please?

I last used AEON on 2nd of this month, no charge, so left me wondering if there's been a change in the interim or perhaps a misunderstanding with home bank fees.

Thanks,

J

Aeon bank are charging a fee for use from overseas cards as of yesterday or day before, there is a thread already going about it

Thanks.